Ballot-box



To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES GILBERT L. BAILEY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

BALLOT-BOX.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 28,339, dated May Be itknown that I, GILBERT L. BAILEY, of l Portland, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Ballot-Boxes, by which the votes of a deliberativeassembly or of an association are registered asfast as they are given;and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and-exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box with the coverstanding open. Fig. 2 shows aplan, and Fig. 3 an elevation, of theoperating mechanism. v

The same letters have reference to like parts. I

The nature of my invention consists in providing a box withsuitablemechanism, which being operated by the hand of the voter, or of theperson holding the same, causes the number of votes yes l or no to beplainly indicated to the person carrying or holding the box.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my box of any convenient form and of a size varyingaccording to the number which the mechanism to be contained therein iscalculated to register, which number may also vary from ten to onethousand or more.

The box Bis made of wood usually, but may be made. of other substances,and has a cover or lid N openine; on the top. Directly beneath this lidisa thin partitionXof metal dropped slightly below the top of the boxand dividing the space inside horizontally. The operating mechanismconsists of a vertical spindle S, carrying a dial 0 and a ratchetwheelL, the latter placed under the former, having its hearing at the top endin partition X and its lower end in the bottom of the box. Dial O hasten figures, including a cipher, placed at equal distances apart nearits periphery. Another dial I, which may be larger, is placed oppositedial 0 in juxtaposition to it, and is supported on pin I, which has ahead on the under side of partition X and is kept in position by aspring ll prcssi'ng on'said head. This spring also serves to prevent thetoo free revolution of dial P. Dial P carries onits surface near theperiphery and equidistant from one another numbers from one to ten,twenty, thirty, inclusive, or more, according as the box is intended toregister 100, 200, 300, or more, and between the first and last numberis a blank space as large as that occupied by any one number. This blankspace, when you commence to ballot, is exactly opposite the cipher ondial 0, and both are seen through an aperture in partition X, while allother parts of the dials are covered by said partition, as in Fig. 1.Dial P has gear-teeth projecting from its under side innumbercorresponding with the numbers and space on the top side. Dial Ohas a single spur F on its under side, so placed as to take into theteeth on dial P once in every revolution, and moves P just thedistancethatits numbers areapart. Thus starting at blank and-cipher,when 0 has made one complete revolution, P will exhibit the figure 1through the aperture, which, in connection with the cipher on O, whichwill then be in sight, will read 10, and at the next movement of 0 itsfigure 1 will be brought opposite that on P and will read 11, while atthe next complete revolution of O, P will be made to exhibit the figure2, and in connection with the cipher on O, which will again be in view,will read 20, and so to any number desired, includin g, of course, allintermediate numbers. By this arrangement the single numbers on eachdial are so combined by the united action of the dials as to make doublenumbers when such numbers are desired.

Dial O is rotated by means of the slide or pull E, which carries pawl A,which takes on ratchet-wheel L. Pull E projects through the front'partof the box l3, and is furnished with a knob II, by which it is drawn outto a stop provided on the inside a sufficient distance to bring a numberon O in view, and when let go is returned by a spring T, also on theinside the box. A light spring also keeps pawl A in contact with theratchet-wheel, and the return of pull E carries the hooked end of thepawl beyond the teeth in the ratchet wheel, so that by means of the nutI) on the top end of spindle S dial 0 may be turned back to commence anew ballot. Spindle S volve in an" Opposite direction.

.eause a sound to be given from thebell at every pull of E, by which anyperson attempting to vote twice is easily detected. The strik: i-nghammer 2 is hinged to the bottom of the box, andis-kept in position by astop and spring.

A narroiwstrip of metal 13 is also hinged tothe bottom of the box,extending lengthwise from pull ,1) to the striking-hammer,

against which it rests-in a vertical position.

A pin projects from the side of. pull E,.-which, when said pull is letgo, after having been drawn out, comesin contact with one end of thestrip of metal 3, causing it to press back the hammer, andthus the bellis-struck upon Y its inner side.

There are two sets of the above-described mechanism, with the exceptionof the bell and hammer, contained in one box, one set to record the yeasand the other the hays,"

the internal parts of only one of which are shown in Figs. 2 and Theother, whichisprecisely like the one described, is placed near theopposite end of the box, and for convenience iirplacing the pulls If ismade to re- The two sets are entirely separate from. one another intheir operation.

.Onone of the knobs 'l ,.or near it on thebox, is placed themonosyllable Yes," and on the other X0, and the same are placed near thecorresponding apertures in partition'..\', so that a person pulling theknob marked 5 Yes will have his vote registered yes, and vice versa.

I am aware that slides to be pushed in, or keys similar to piano-fortekeys, maybe substituted for the pulls; but I prefer the latter.

Some of the advantages of this improvement are, first, a great saving oftime both in taking a vote and in announcingithc result,

and, seeondl y, the accuracy with which a vote can be determined, andthe ready means of detecting a fraudulent-rota by the alarmbell.

I am aware that a patent was issued to one Joseph A; Hill, dated August6, 1850, for an improvement in ballot-boxes, in which the number ofvotes was registered by means of a tape printed with numerals, operatedby pedals which were to betrodden on by the per 'son coming up to vote,and I do'not wish to be understood as claiming any device or combi*nation specified in said Ilills patent as my invention.

I do not claim itself-registering ballot-box as new oras of myinvention, neither dol claim any of the parts herein described as new inthemselves;- but,

Ila-ring described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

.l. The employment of dials O and P, with their numerals and blank spaceoperating in conjunction,substantially as and torthe purpose set forth.

2. The employment of dials 0 audP, as and for the purpose set forth,-incombination with ratchet-wheel L, pawl A, and pull E, or theirequivalents.

Ih'lhe combination and use of the aboveclaimed dials, ratchet-wheel,pawl, and pull,

operating" as described, with alarm-bell C, for

the purpose set forth.

at. The combination and use of the aboveelaimed dials, ratchet-wheel,pawl, and'pull,

whether wit-h or without alarnrbell G, with any suitable box,substantially as described.

5. The combination and use of an alarmbell with a self-registeringballot-box.

(5. The combination and use of two sets of registering mechanism withone ballot-box, operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinsetforth.

GILBERT L. BAILEY.

W'itnesses:

W. F. MASON, E. K. BOOIHBY.

